STAND TOGETHER IN SOLIDARITY FOR SABAH (COLLECTIVE VOICES OF SABAHANS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD)

SABAH DESERVE BETTER 

Of late, there are just too many Whatsapp group chats (amongst the Sabahans) that talks about the political situation in Sabah, and it can get one overwhelms and tiring over time, reading, processing, exchanging feedbacks to each information which can sometimes leads to unnecessary banters and many more. 

Not to mention postings on social media about the plaguing issues in Sabah that never seem to improve over time. So what gives?

Despite all these, we are all still HERE. 

Stuck in the rut, cant move anywhere. We are immobilise and muted somewhat.

So instead of wallowing in self-pity, or getting upset for God knows how long more do we need to put up with the political nonsense in Sabah, we decided to kickstart #SabahDeserveBetter Movement to showcase Sabahans hopes and dreams from all over the world. Basically, it’s a collective “voices” of Sabahans that longed to see change in the state regardless where they are at the time of reading this.

Since, we can’t do peaceful gathering in the open as it might seem that we are waging “war” against the existing State Government (which is a far cry from our actual mission), we have decided to bring this forward and do this in our own homes and backyards instead.

After all, home is where hopes and dreams come from. 

#SABAHDESERVEBETTER

People say CHANGE is inevitable, ever evolving and for the better. 

But change is always hard for anyone to adapt to, regardless of what it is. Unfortunately, no ATTEMPT for CHANGE is akin to not TRYING at all.

It’s disheartening to learn that throughout the years, Sabahans has becoming more and more divided due to the political instability and in-fighting in Sabah.

Sabahan politicians are even labelled as FROGS due to their inability to stay loyal, to ensure their political survival. 

This doesn’t go down well with most Sabahans. The most disturbing part is how this behavior almost seemed normal for them to carry on and they could go on and on for years doing it. Where is their integrity? 

There is no sense of shame or guilt to the Sabahans that voted for them believing in their “ability” to deliver. 

The saddest part is that Sabahans can no longer rely on these kinds of “leaders” and their promises because until today, we still have many unresolved issues in the State!

Feedbacks upon feedbacks fall into deafened ears to the point that we still see their thick-skinned faces flashing smiles plastered all over mainstream medias. Not an ounce of remorse or guilt in their expression. 

Basic necessities like water to flash floods, road works, internet connectivity to stateless people issues. Don’t get us started with dilapidated schools, bridges, limited higher learning institutions and job opportunities, all these issues are mounting up in the state.

Many Sabahans left the state for better future elsewhere. Those that ended up well continues to build a better life although they struggled at first, while those that don’t continues to suffer in a place that is foreign to them. 

Yet, they all yearned to go home to serve. Home is where the heart is!

They say Sabah is RICH with resources. If so, why are issues mentioned above are still plaguing the state? And why do we still need to beg or seek permission for our rights to be honored and returned us? Its almost 60 years of waiting, enduring and yet we keep giving. 

If we continue to witness brain drain situation in Sabah because of political instability, where will this lead us all to?

WHO CHOOSES INEFFICIENT POLITICIANS AND WHY?

Simple. It goes back to the rural folks and people with vested interests. 

You see, there is a saying “Keep them poor and illiterate, they will have no choices but to pin their hopes on you” AND “Keep the loyal few and give them what they want, they will do the work for you”.

To the rural folks, give them few hundred ringgits every time during election, fix a few potholes and deliver a unit of plastic water tank to each household would be good enough. These people have lived in hardships for years, they have learnt to adapt and be contented. They have surrendered to their circumstances. They are the easiest to convince and fooled. 

While the vested interest, just continue to scratch their backs so they will do the same to you. Promise them bigger projects, flashy cars, bigger pockets, lands and titles, all will be taken care of. 

But to the learned few, the above is killing us slowly and if we don’t put a stop, we will lose Sabah and all her potentials to the ever-growing greed and power tussles.

THE CANDLELIGHT VIGIL FOR SABAH

Like it or not, or however you put it, Sabah is in her darkest moment.

The flicker of light at the end of the tunnel is getting weaker and the journey towards the end is getting longer. 

 

 

We are grappling every day, holding on to anything and everything to keep going for the sake of Sabah. We even wonder if we ever “get there”. We believe we will get out of this darkness one day. But how?

Ultimately, we cannot be that contented Sabahans anymore. 

All Sabahans (regardless race or status) must RISE together and demand better change for the state!

If it’s not for you, think about your children and future generation.

In view of this, the #SabahDeserveBetter Movement is planning to SHARE our disappointment and demand for CHANGE in a form of a candlelight vigil.

For years, our forefathers were unable to showcase displeasure due to fear and unaware of their fundamental rights for change. 

We want to turn the tables around and let the State Government know that the new generation of Sabahans are not bunch of fools. 

BUT WHY CANDLELIGHT VIGIL?

The vigil candle is a symbol of hope and faith. 

 

 

It represents the light that shines in the darkness, bringing comfort and peace to those who seek it.

A candlelight vigil is usually an outdoor assembly of people carrying candles, held after sunset in order to show support for a specific cause.

Such events are typically held either to protest the suffering of people or to commemorate the departed souls.

Candlelight vigils are seen as a nonviolent way to raise awareness of a cause and to motivate change, as well as uniting and supporting those attending the vigil.

To us, Sabah is her darkest moment now. 

The candlelight SYMBOLIZES our hopes that still fuels the dream of a better Sabah. 

 

 

The more candlelight are put up, the stronger the light that shines in the darkest of room.

WHAT KIND OF CHANGE DO WE WANT TO SEE?

We demand for these THREE things. And while it seems simple, they may be an uphill task for those politicians blinded by power greed, vested interests and egos. 

What we like to see:

1.     IMPLEMENT and ENFORCE the anti-hop law in the state, to stop weak politicians from taking advantage in extending their political survival which serves no purpose for the betterment of Sabah as whole. 

2.     To urge for all Sabah local party leaders to pull themselves together, set aside their egos, sort out their differences AND put Sabah’s rights FIRST AND FOREMOST, above self and vested interests with certain individuals. They WILL bite the bullet and do this if Sabah’s future is EQUALLY IMPORTANT to them. 

3.     To uphold the MA63 and make sure it is implemented and enforced by the end of 2023. No more delays, ifs and buts.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Granted that it will take a while to push for this to happen as it has never been attempted before on this scale but it’s not impossible to achieve. 

As a generation that grew up in the 80s onwards, we long for a strong State Government that supports stability, inclusivity and equality to overcome future challenges ahead.

In this petition, we CALL upon all SABAHANS from all over the world to come together to support, share the initiative FAR and WIDE to all SABAHANS all over the world, where ever they may be. 

HOW DO WE KICK THIS OFF?

We will set a specific date/time and share link with all Sabahans on our Facebook page SABAH DESERVE BETTER to share their photos & videos with specific further instruction (STAY TUNE!).

Please JOIN THE GROUP for updates.

Let the WHOLE world witness our yearning desire for change.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

There is no better time to initiate this initiative but now. 

The recent GE15 (2022) has witnessed a deadlock between Semenanjung parties in Malaysia, and it has been 59 years since Sabah joins the Federation of Malaysia with no visible and impactful change acknowledged. 

And unfortunately, Sabah is still labelled as one of the poorest states in Malaysia (per IMF report).

Similar with the 2019 budget, Sabah has been allocated with the same amount in 2023 and recently raised a bit more to build its infrastructure and obviously this is not enough considering Sabah's contribution to the country all these years. 

Let’s kickstart with 1,000 support and snowball the number from there.  

We CAN DO THIS together.

Let them witness WHAT PEOPLE'S POWER is all about. 

-Sabah Deserve Better Movement (2023)-